KEITH DIGGLE

14 October 2014
Keith Diggle is now available to conduct seminars, give lectures and for
consultation. Contact email!"eithdiggle.com
# $I%E &I'(TE %IE) *$ &#+KETI'G THE #+T,
The whole organisation markets the arts, not just you. (But Ill !irect this at you, as an
in!i"i!ual, just the same#.
$ou !ont market the arts. $ou market the e%&erience o' the arts.
-our aim is to bring an a..ro.riate number of .eo.le, drawn from the widest
.ossible range of social bac"grounds, economic condition and age into an
a..ro.riate form of contact with the artist and, in so doing, to arrive at the best
financial outcome that is com.atible with the achievement of that aim. ((y
!e'inition o' a 'ew !eca!es ago ) it still works#.
$ou market to those who are alrea!y buying 'rom you an! those who might well, one
!ay, buy 'rom you ) theyre your Available *u!ience.
It is con"enient to think o' your #vailable #udience as being ma!e u& 'rom your
+#ttenders an! those I ha"e terme! Intenders, the &eo&le who ha"e similar
characteristics to the *tten!ers but 'or any number o' reasons are not buying 'rom you
now ) but they! &robably like to.
Those whose attitu!es . 'or whate"er reasons, take them outsi!e the charme! circle o'
*"ailability are your Unavailable *u!ience ) an! will remain so until you change
their attitu!es.
$ou communicate with your *"ailable *u!ience using e"ery me!ium thats a"ailable
to you inclu!ing ,ace to ,ace within your buil!ing.
The best me!ia 'or you are those which make instant &urchase &ossible. -inks 'rom
mailing lists, websites, ,acebook, Twitter etc to ticket selling systems are essential.
(e!ia must con"ey 'ull in'ormation on how an! where tickets may be bought.
The &rocess o' /ublicit0, a blen! o' #dvertising an! /ublic +elations, o&erates in
two linke! ways. one 'ocuses on your /ro!uct an! the other on your organisation.
The objecti"e o' /ublicity, 'ocuse! on the e"ent as well as the &romoting bo!y, is to
make your *"ailable *u!ience want to buy the e%&eriences you are marketing. It is
unwise to belie"e that /ublicity sells tickets. 0hen success'ul /ublicit0 ma"es
.eo.le want to bu0 tic"ets.
It has wisely been sai! (by me# that /ublic 1elations 2ma"es them "now 0ou,
understand 0ou, li"e and admire 0ou, trust and believe 0ou and defend 0ou1.
This &ro"i!es the best en"ironment 'or your *!"ertising an! hel&s it make &eo&le
want to buy ) because they trust you. 0hen 'ocuse! on your 3na"ailable *u!ience,
/ublic 1elations is &robably the only way o' making &eo&le &ay hee! to what you are
!oing an! so buil! in their min!s res&ect 'or you ) at the "ery least.
The 'unction o' ,ales is to 2clinch the !eal4 to turn wanting into !oing. $ou !o this by
identif0ing and minimising ever0 .ossible 2barrier to .urchase1. /robably the
biggest barrier is &rocrastination.. &eo&le o'ten !elay making the actual, irre"ocable,
&ayment ) the longer the !elay the greater &ossibility o' the sale 'alling through.
To!ay, because o' the internet, a !eal can be clinche! at home at 5am in the morning.
6ooray ) it was not always so.
/rice can be a barrier. $ou ha"e to establish the notion that your &rices re&resent goo!
"alue an! to buil! strategies that enable you to change &rices without a&&earing to be
'ailing.
/rice increases, i' necessary, shoul! be small an! o'ten rather than large an! not o'ten.
$ou will ha"e sales targets an! they must be achie"e! through a combination o' &rice
an! number o' tickets sol!. I!eally, in the arts worl!, you seek to sell the greatest
number o' tickets at whate"er &rice will enable you achie"e your target.
,ales /romotion is a tool that hel&s to im&ro"e the &ercei"e! &rice7"alue relationshi&
an! may be use! mi!8cam&aign without being seen to re!uce &rices. It can also hel&
to achie"e the arts marketers holy grail o' the 2rush to &urchase, the ultimate way o'
&ersua!ing &eo&le to buy 'aster 'or 'ear o' not being able to buy anything. It is sai!
(by me# that ,ales /romotion can hel. us sell, can hel. us sell more, can hel. us
sell faster and can hel. us sell further ahead.
/eo&le want the 2best seat. The best seat in the house may be thus !e'ine! as the one
the customer wants. O''ering the chance to secure the 2best seat is &robably one o'
the most e''ecti"e sales &romotions.
9ssentially this work is a creati"e &rocess, not a scienti'ic one4 'or e%am&le, the
creation an! &ro!uction o' an a!"ertising cam&aign re:uires talent, imagination,
originality an! an acute un!erstan!ing o' what will attract &eo&le 8 theres no science
there. *ur idols in the world of arts mar"eting are the im.resarios not the
scientists nor the statisticians.
;eith <iggle October 2014
+*tten!er is someone who atten!s your shows. *n *tten!ee is someone who or
something which is atten!e! ) which is not what you mean. The terms *tten!er an!
Inten!er are a use'ul way o' !escribing your *"ailable *u!ience an! they 'it together
:uite nicely. (Thought. i' the correct term 'or an au!ience member is *tten!ee then
what !oes *tten!er mean= 0hy !oes the wor! e%ist=#